Head of Group Benefits Business Risk & Resiliency

Guardian Life Insurance Company•Boston, NY

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Head of Group Benefits Business Risk & Resiliency, you will execute the Risk & Resiliency frameworks for Group Benefits (GB), Guardian’s B2B line of business. You will manage the operational risk profile for GB, aggregating risk across domains (Technology, Cyber, Data, Model, Compliance, Third Party, etc) and ensuring alignment to Guardian’s risk appetite and tolerance. You will enable informed business decision‑making by providing oversight, independent challenge, and proactive risk insights, supported by risk domain experts within Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). You will Act as a trusted advisor to GB Leadership to drive the Risk & Resiliency program according to Guardian standards, in part by facilitating Risk Working Groups on a regular cadence for transparency and accountability. Escalate topics to the appropriate risk committees as warranted. Assess key risks at the Line of Business and process level and ensure visibility into key risk action items through coordination and engagement with business process owners and risk and control partners. Execute the Business Resiliency framework through development of business continuity plans and resiliency solutions for critical dependencies, regular testing, and oversight of plans, and managing business coordination of Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management efforts. Own and drive maintenance of the Risk Register (ServiceNow) for GB, including establishing reporting standards, promoting self‑identification of risks, and ensuring data quality and completeness. Oversee consolidation and synthesis of risk data across all domains to maintain an aggregated residual risk profile, assess alignment to risk appetite, identify material risk themes and trends, and inform LOB leadership and risk governance discussions. Coordinate and integrate risk activities, including issues, events, Key Risk Indicators(KRIs), and stress scenario analysis, ensuring appropriate linkage, escalation, and consistency across domains. Drive a risk‑aware culture, enabling first‑line ownership of risk and partnering with Business Risk Coordinators to promote consistent standards, effective issue identification, and timely escalation.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in operational risk management or a related risk discipline within the financial services industry.
Insurance experience preferred.
Group Benefits experience may be used in lieu of other experience.
Strong analytical, decision making and problem-solving skills.
Flexibility and resourcefulness in managing multiple priorities.
The ability to accelerate impact and the desire to lead change.
Legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Nice To Haves

A confident, visible leader and trusted advisor comfortable operating in a highly transparent environment, engaging senior leaders, risk committees, and cross‑functional stakeholders to support informed business decision‑making.
A change leader with strong business acumen who provides clear risk insights, credible challenges, and pragmatic trade‑off perspectives to advance business priorities.
An exceptional communicator and collaborative relationship builder with a proven ability to partner across lines of business, risk domains, and enterprise functions to drive outcomes through others.

Responsibilities

Execute the Risk & Resiliency frameworks for Group Benefits (GB).
Manage the operational risk profile for GB, aggregating risk across domains.
Provide oversight, independent challenge, and proactive risk insights.
Act as a trusted advisor to GB Leadership to drive the Risk & Resiliency program.
Facilitate Risk Working Groups on a regular cadence.
Escalate topics to the appropriate risk committees as warranted.
Assess key risks at the Line of Business and process level.
Ensure visibility into key risk action items.
Execute the Business Resiliency framework through development of business continuity plans and resiliency solutions.
Oversee regular testing and management of business continuity plans.
Manage business coordination of Disaster Recovery and Crisis Management efforts.
Own and drive maintenance of the Risk Register (ServiceNow) for GB.
Establish reporting standards, promote self‑identification of risks, and ensure data quality and completeness.
Oversee consolidation and synthesis of risk data across all domains.
Assess alignment to risk appetite, identify material risk themes and trends.
Coordinate and integrate risk activities, including issues, events, Key Risk Indicators(KRIs), and stress scenario analysis.
Drive a risk‑aware culture, enabling first‑line ownership of risk.
Partner with Business Risk Coordinators to promote consistent standards, effective issue identification, and timely escalation.